New Delhi (AsiaNews) At least 35 Hindus were killed in two separate attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Thirteen people were killed in the first attack in Udhampur district; another 22 died in the mountainous Doda district. News about the massacres comes only today two days ahead of a meeting between separatist Kashmiri leaders and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. They are the worst such incidents since 2003 when India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire in the area.
In Udhampur cattle grazers were targeted; their bodies were found yesterday. In Doda some Islamic militants wearing uniforms rounded up local villagers and after holding a few hours shot them in cold blood.
For security experts these attacks against Hindus, who are in the minority in Kashmir, are likely the work of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT or Army of the Pure), a pro-Pakistan Islamic group. In the last ten years, LeT has been responsible for at least 17 massacres that left 270 Hindus dead.
John Dayal, a Catholic member of India's National Integration Council, told AsiaNews that "spreading terror, persecuting the weak and innocent, and dividing communities along sectarian lines in India's various regions are the real motives behind the killing". But "violence is not a solution," he said. "We must bring peace to people of every faith in the Kashmir Valley, be they Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu."
Mr Dayal added that Kashmir's tiny Christian community is also prey to violence. "Christian Dalits and Pundits have been frequently victimised" in both Indian- and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. "Christian missionaries risk their life everyday to assert freedom of expression and freedom of religion."